Elections Debate Group is APC agenda, Olawepo-Hashim insists
By
excluding the presidential candidate of Peoples Trust (PT), Mr. Gbenga
Olawepo-Hashim, from the Presidential Debate by the National Elections
Debate Group and Broadcasting Organisatio of Nigeria (BON), the
organisers have shown the project as part of the agenda of the ruling
All Progressives Congress (APC) to interfere with the 2019 election.
Gbenga
Olawepo-Hashim Campaign Organisation (GOHCO), which condemned the
exclusion of their principal from the scheduled Presidential Debate,
alleged that the method adopted in selecting candidates not only lacked
objectivity, but also showed bias and underlined the anti-democratic
agenda of APC.
In a statement by Mr. Hassan Ibrahim, spokesperson
of the candidate, GOHCO disclosed that PT had long indicated interest
to participate in the debate, but regretted the exclusion of its
candidate despite the fact that he remains among the top three
candidates from all surveys.
GOHCO contended that it is its hope
that the debating group is not working in cahoots with the ruling APC to
downplay the party’s strides with its spread across the country. It
noted that PT and its presidential candidate, Mr. Olawepo-Hashim,
recently emerged top among the nearly 28 newly registered political
parties fielding candidates for political positions for next year’s
presidential elections, with 194 persons running on its platform.
“The
PT, which is in alliance with other parties, is promoting the
presidential candidacy of Mr. Olawepo-Hashim, has a total of 194
contestants on its platform, including 140 for the House of
Representatives, 52 for the Senate and one each for president and
vice-president. Following PT closely are the JMPP (182); MPN (176); the
ADP (136); ZLP (115) and the ACD with 106,” the statement added.
While
recalling how Mr. Olawepo-Hashim made a head start over others in the
weekly Facebook rating of presidential candidates in Nigeria on Monday,
December 10, 2018 with 28, 000 Facebook engagements, GOHCO declared:
“Regrettably, the candidates included in the debate apart from Alhaji
Atiku, performed woefully in terms of spread, in comparative terms, in
the just concluded nomination exercise.
“While Kingsley Moghalu
had 70 nominations, Fela Durotoye had 21, and Oby Ezekwesili had 50. The
PT nomination was 194 signifying national spread, acceptability and
effectiveness of political structure.
“President Muhammadu Buhari
of APC recorded 16,000+ engagements, while Kingsley Moghalu, Fela
Durotoye and the other presidential candidates were trailing far behind
with single digit ratings. These are incontrovertible data, not the
sentiments or wishful thoughts of individuals. They are empirical
evidence that can be easily verified.”
The campaign organisation
regretted that it is “surprising that despite these records, the party
is being excluded from the debate in what looks like a stage-managed
process. We urge Nigerians not to be disturbed by this. The PT is
working with other political candidates who are interested in having
their voice heard towards the 2019 presidential election, and we shall
surely triumph in stopping this subterfuge.”
Further, GOHCO
stated that the debate organisers short-listed PDP for purpose of
legitimacy for the debate, adding that “the inclusion of the weakest
candidates on the platform, or the newest parties, exposes their devious
intentions.”
PT lamented that Nigeria is internally bleeding
because of the ineptitude of APC, saying, “What the country is looking
forward to is an honest platform of debate to halt the hemorrhaging, not
a forum to whitewash the problem by mostly a collection of pretenders
to the presidential contest.”
The party therefore urged its
supporters, concerned Nigerians and indeed the electorate to take note
of APC’s shenanigan and tits selected allies that they have been
encouraging in the polity to suck off votes that otherwise will not come
to them.
The statement concluded, “We urge Nigerians not to be
disturbed by this development as genuine people’s debate is in the
works, where concrete solutions to many problems bedeviling Nigeria
would be proffered. Our campaign will be part of this new debate with
many patriotic candidates, who truly want to see a better Nigeria in
2019.”
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